Re: Vin Baker

[Kim Malo <kimmalo@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

At 12:47 PM 2/12/2004, Douglas342@xxxxxxx wrote:
> In a message dated 2/12/2004 9:25:09 AM Pacific Standard Time,
> jpereira@xxxxxxxx writes:
> Quite a monumental decision coming up on Vin Baker.  It could have long-term
> ramifications for the franchise.  How many think this compares with not
> trading McHale in the waning years of his career.
> ------Not exactly on point, but I think I remember McHale's final game for
> the Celtics.  They were losing the fifth game (?) against Charlotte (?) when
> McHale went on a rampage, scoring about ten quick points and grabbing 
> rebounds
> left and right.  Finally he looked to the bench and indicated he was 
> exhausted,
> so they pulled him amidst a huge ovation.  It was a grand exit, albeit in a
> loss.
>    (Am I remembering this right?)

Yup. I remember being glad he went out with an echo of the old Kevin after 
a really tough season, even if I couldn't tell you off the top of my head 
what his stats were.
.
He admitted doing exactly that intentionally, saying that once he realized 
that was it, with no more need to 'save' himself for the next game and be 
careful to not hurt himself any more, he decided to just let it all hang 
out, have some fun playing again and give it all he had. He hadn't much 
enjoyed a season spent in a failed attempt to harbor his resources and not 
playing anything close to his own standards as a result and wanted to give 
people and others something better to remember him by.

Kevin's last game was one of the hardest for me to watch, because you could 
see in his very expressive face his complete consciousness as it was 
happening that this mostly about a lot of "last times" and watch him 
consciously trying to absorb the memories as they happened. Most athletes 
you don't see that until the speeches afterward, if at all.

Kim